


I Am Here Tonight

by deandratb



Category: The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Genre: Found Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 01:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deandratb/pseuds/deandratb
Summary: Lucien's night terrors and Mattie's comforting presence.





	I Am Here Tonight

Lucien can’t help thinking of Mattie as a surrogate daughter, almost from the beginning, despite knowing that’s probably bad luck for her. Associating with him at all is likely to be, but she’s young and feisty and doesn’t listen to those who warn her to give him a wide berth.

She’s growing into an excellent nurse, if he does say so himself. Patient with the little ones, gentle with the wounded…kind to the damaged. 

He has fallen into the latter category since his return home. It shames him, but he’s grateful for the nights when Mattie’s careful words wake him. 

His nightmares distress Jean; her heart bleeds for him every time she comes to make sure that he’s okay–he can see it in those clear, swimming eyes of hers. But Mattie, young as she may be, handles it like a professional.

“Lucien,” she says, her voice cutting through the dark and the misery. “Lucien, you’re dreaming. You need to wake up. Can you hear me? It’s all over, now. You’re at home. You’re safe.”

When he swims back to consciousness, he’ll find her with soothing fingers on his brow, or gripping his hand like an anchor. And just for a moment–one brief moment–every time, he thinks he sees his little girl, come to comfort her father.

So he get things a little mixed up. He’s no good at maintaining the proper distance from this young woman who boards with him and was never required to be his friend. Before he knows it, she’s family.

Before he realizes it, she’s part of his home.

And when she grows up, and flies the nest, and he tries not to make it harder for her as he hugs her goodbye, all that he can think–all that he wishes he could tell her past the lump in his throat–is that if he and Jean had a daughter, they would be lucky if she were half as wonderful as Mattie O’Brien. 

The girl who had only just met him, but would still come to hold his hand in the darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Title borrowed from "Lullaby For A Stormy Night" by Vienna Teng.


End file.
